Kelly Loeffler, administrator of the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), joined Rep. Mike Lawler on Monday for a tour of Celtic Sheet Metal Inc. in Orangeburg.
The HVAC manufacturer has been in business for nearly 30 years but, like many others, production came to a halt during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“It’s all back to normal now, thank God,” said Mikayla Cunney, of Celtic Sheet Metal.
“It’s a big improvement obviously since COVID because everything was closed,” added Brendan Cunney.
News 12 last visited the company in May 2020 when it reopened during Phase One of New York state’s reopening plan.
Celtic has been part of several high-profile projects, including the Jacob Javits Center, Moynihan Train Hall and the new Buffalo Bills football stadium.
Leaders say they are focused on continued growth.
“We're excited to keep pushing it forward,” said Mikayla. “As a woman-owned business, we're a family business, and we're excited to see where it goes in this next generation.”
The visit was part of their effort to highlight President Donald Trump’s economic policies, including fair trade initiatives, tax cuts for small businesses, and deregulation.
The SBA says it can offer capital and other resources to help businesses impacted by tariffs.
Loeffler noted the agency has another way it is trying to help businesses.
“We have created a free directory on the SBA website to make sure small businesses know all the places they can access product and source it domestically,” Loeffler said.
Lawler said he supports tariffs as a negotiating tool, but not as a long-term policy.
“The objective is to get investment into the U.S., bring back jobs, bring back manufacturing, and really force our trade partners around the globe to engage in fair trade for U.S. goods going into their country as well,” Lawler said.